Fewer than four in ten of the 301,000 people promised
food aid by the Swaziland (eSwatini) Government during the present coronavirus (COVID-19)
pandemic have received it.
Figures announced by Swazi Prime Minister Ambrose
Dlamini on Friday (5 June 2020) showed only 113,273 people had received aid. He
had previously promised that all 301,762 people across the kingdom deemed
in need would get it by 6 May.
He said people in 29 tinkhundla (local authority
districts) had received cash to buy food through the government scheme. There are
a total of 59 tinkhundla in Swaziland.
In a
media statement Dlamini claimed ‘the food assistance programme is going
according to plan’.
He said the scheme would be completed next week. Not
all people who registered to get relief received it.
The plan is to spend about E270 million (US$14
million) on the scheme. It was set up following reports from across the
kingdom that people
were close to death.
Swaziland has been in a partial lockdown since 27
March and tens of thousands of people have been thrown
out of work.
The plan was originally rejected
by members of the House of Assembly who preferred that food, rather than
cash, be distributed. They feared money would not be spent on food.
In his statement Dlamini said, ‘Government would like
to request the cash and food beneficiaries to be responsible, knowing that
government and donors alike have had to forego other planned activities to
ensure that the assistance is made available to them.’
See
also
People
face ‘imminent death from hunger’ in Swaziland as coronavirus lockdown hits
poorest
Swaziland
Govt. pledges to feed 300,000 facing hunger in next two weeks as coronavirus
intensifies
Chaos
as Swaziland Govt. misses target to start food aid for destitute in coronavirus
lockdown
Swaziland
Govt. confirms it will not feed the starving in towns and cities during
coronavirus lockdown
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